Passover Resources from CAJE!
Posted on 04/19/2024 @ 06:00 AM
On Monday night, April 22nd/15th of Nisan, Jews traditionally gather to celebrate Passover and commemorate the exodus from Egypt. We reenact the exodus through story, discussion, and song at the seder table.
CAJE's Department of Adult Learning and Growth, in partnership with our faculty, has compiled Passover insights and teachings designed to help you spiritually prepare for the holiday. We have also included links to resources that you can share around your seder tables to spark meaningful conversations.
Download & Print Passover Insights & Teachings from CAJE Adult Learning and Growth
Photo by Aida L on Unsplash
Yearning for Redemption
Passover is our celebration of redemption. We remember that in ancient Egypt, we were slaves; we celebrate our miraculous exodus and freedom. We raise each of the four cups of wine to acknowledge the joy we feel that we live as free people today.
This year, however, our joy is tempered with the knowledge that not all Jews are free. The war in Israel that began on October 7, a day on which over 240 Israelis were taken hostage and approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed, is an ever present reminder that in every generation, Jews must do the work to ensure our safety and freedom, so that we can work for the safety and freedom of all. This year, our hearts are grieving for the more than 600 Israeli soldiers who have been killed in action, for their families and friends, and for the entire country—to which we are intimately connected—that has been thrown into turmoil, terror, and sorrow. May their memories be a blessing.
Every single hostage who remains captive in Gaza is one too many. Echoing the words of Yehuda Amichai in his poem “The Diameter of the Bomb,” the diameter of the impact of each hostage taken is so much larger than just the impact on an individual. Their families, their friends, their communities, the entire country, and the worldwide Jewish community have felt the shuddering impacts of October 7.
As we gather around our Passover tables—both personal and communal—our hearts are with our fellow Jews who are desperate for freedom.
-Rabbi Annie Villarreal-Belford, Editor, CCAR Press
